Cold at 78

[Scubagolf]

I wear a 3mm full-suit in those temperatures, and if I'm doing multiple dives or a night dive, I'll often add a hooded vest.

Same for me. I'm 6'2 and 210#. Second dives in 77-78 degree water in Hawaii I get cold in my 3mm full wetsuit. I added a hooded vest and am perfectly warm. I suggest that she start with a quality 3mm full and if she is still cold she can add either a core warmer vest or a hooded vest. This will give her flexibility in adjusting to water temps.

 

[Noboundaries]

Yep, 3mm for me and my wife in 78-82* water. One one trip I was diving just a polypro skin for protection, but I often felt fatigued afterward just the first dive. When I started wearing the 3mm on later trips I felt little to no fatigue until after the 3rd dive.

My wife has always worn a 3mil, even in water temps as high as 84*F.

 

[mruseless]

Ditto what almost everyone else has said. In 78 degree water I am in a full 3mm suit and a 2mm hooded vest, or at least a hood. I am 6 feet tall and 185 lbs.

 

[ae3753]

Surfing and diving requirements are very different. Surfing in 54 degrees, I wear a 5mm. Diving in 78 degrees, I wear a 5mm. In the odd chance that I'd only dive once or twice a vacation, then I'll do a 3mm.

 

[MeiLing]

One of the things that you have to bear in mind is that most divers get pretty good at not over-exerting themselves during a dive to conserve air. During surfing, your mostly out of the water, with the hot sun blazing on a dark wetsuit, paddling all over the place with your hands, sucking up a whole lot of air. No comparison!

I'd go with a full suit for the protection from critters, if nothing else. During a trip to the Philippines, I blew the zipper out of my full suit and wound up in a borrowed short sleeve shorty. On one descent, I got nailed by something I couldn't see. Had a nasty, itchy rash all over my arms for three weeks. I think it was jellyfish larvae.

There's nothing wimpy about wearing the kind of suit that keeps you warm, wherever you are. You'd be surprised how many avid divers in Hawaii are wearing 5mm. full suits.

If you have a full suit and start feeling a little warm, you just pull the neck out and flush some off that cooler water across your chest!

 

[Charlie99]

Typical skin temperature is in the low 90's. So even water in the high 80's is going to be sucking heat out of your body.

Thermal exposure protection is the balance between staying nice and comfy with good thick neoprene vs the hassles of suiting up and the additional weighting and BCD adjustment needed to compensate for thicker neoprene.

Newer divers tend to thrash around more in the water, and also have shorter dives than do experienced divers. This means that newer divers can be comfortable with less neoprene than more experienced divers that are moving less and are down longer. OTOH, experienced divers more easily and automatically handle the more buoyancy adjustments needed for thicker neoprene, so a thicker wetsuit doesn't have as much downside for an experienced diver.

77 or 78F is the point where I transition from a 3/2mm full + beanie to a 5mm full + beanie.

I recommend that your wife start off with a 3mm full or 3/2 (3mm on the core, 2 mm on legs and arms) and add a beanie. If that isn't enough, then move on up to a 5mm.

For me at least, being chilled is a real bummer and one that is easily avoided with the proper thermal protection.

 

[Damselfish]

I'm one that isn't into wearing much of a wetsuit, all I own is 1mm fullsuits and a 3mm vest. Great above 80, but 78 is borderline even for me. If your wife is cold, she's cold. A rash guard isn't going to do her any good. And surfing is not a useful comparison. I'm not sure how much wearing your old suit is going to tell you either. Are you exactly the same size and shape? A 3mm that doesn't fit her and is old might not keep her warm even when a new properly fitting one would.

I agree fullsuits are a good idea for protection, plus if she's cold at 78F it makes sense. I don't think fullsuits are dorky, one could as easily argue a fullsuit is sleeker looking and a shorty is dorky - but there's no point, wear what makes sense functionally.

Shorties are popular as rentals because they're cheaper for the ops and tend to fit more people easier. But for people's own suits I think I'm seeing more and more fullsuits in the tropics and fewer shorties than I used to. Maybe it's they're getting more comfortable to put on and wear because of better neoprenes and a variety of cuts/styles.

 

[highdesert]

As a big male, carrying more fat than I need, at 78 degrees I would wear a 3mm full suit and beanie on my first dive, and have a 3mm vest over that on my second. Also, pardon me if I'm straying into territory more involving yours/your wife's positions in dealing with issues like this, but you say ... "In all honesty, I think I will have my wife wear one of my old 3 mil wet suits in the warm temp and see how she does." I am thinking that your wife needs to get involved in the issue too. Ask her if she would like to read this thread, and also do a search for many others that involve the same subject. Allow her to be in control of her diving comfort.

Also, as someone else mentioned, your hand-me-down 3 mil will almost certainly be ill-fitting and not at all warm. And regarding appearance, I think active women who are involved in any sport look great outfitted for the occasion. Nuthin' better than a fine woman in head to toe neoprene ... and I'm not even kinky! In the end ... your wife needs to get comfortable, or say good-bye to your dive buddy.

 

[prskate2]

Dude, don't get a shorty. That will be torture for her. Get her a nice full suit. Come on! My mom gets cold in a shorty in 87 water.

 

[Ironman]

I guess there is a difference between girls and guys, but a full suit for 78-80 sounds over board.

Don't know, in her specific case, if it is as much a gender issue as an individual preference issue. When I started I was cold-proof - went diving with a 3 mm suit and a 3 mm core warmer, in 58 degree water, and was quite comfortable. Now, I don't dive wet if the water temp is below 73. If she needs a 3mm for 78 degree water, fine. Individuals vary.